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Choice Privileges adds free points sharing for friends and families. The new loyalty feature lets members transfer points to one another, combining balances more quickly for reward nights, travel experiences and other redemptions. Choice Privileges has introduced free points sharing, allowing members to transfer rewards points to friends and family. Key takeaways. * Choice Privileges members can now transfer points to friends and family at no charge. * The feature is designed to help members combine smaller balances and reach reward nights, travel experiences and other redemptions faster. * Points sharing joins other recent Choice Privileges changes including milestone rewards, faster routes to Elite status and a new Titanium tier. * Choice Hotels says the loyalty program supports stays and rewards across its international hotel portfolio. (NEWS) NORTH BETHESDA, Maryland, United States, 2026-Oct-01 - /Travel PR News/ - Hotel loyalty balances no longer have to stay with a single traveller inside Choice Privileges. Choice Hotels International has introduced free points sharing, allowing members to transfer points to friends and family and combine balances toward future travel rewards. The feature is aimed at a common loyalty-program problem: one person may have enough points to contribute toward a trip while another is still short of a useful redemption. By allowing members to move points between accounts, Choice says households and travel companions can reach reward nights, travel experiences and other benefits more quickly. Choice has not positioned the change as a stand-alone promotion. Instead, points sharing forms part of a broader redesign of the Choice Privileges program that has been adding new earning, redemption and status options. A more flexible way to build a usable points balance. Under the new feature, members can transfer points to friends or family without a transfer fee. That creates several practical uses: travellers can help fund a shared reward stay, consolidate smaller balances or move points to someone who is closer to a redemption threshold. "Today's travelers are increasingly looking for more meaningful ways to experience the world together," said Geeta Chandan, Vice President, Loyalty at Choice Hotels International. She said the new capability is intended to make it easier for members to plan family holidays, milestone trips and other shared getaways. The company has not disclosed additional transfer limits or account-level restrictions in the material released with the announcement, so members should check the program's current terms before moving points. Points sharing joins a wider Choice Privileges overhaul. The launch follows a series of Choice Privileges enhancements announced as the company reshaped the program around more frequent rewards and faster progress toward status. Recent additions include milestone rewards, accelerated paths to Elite status and a new top-level Titanium tier. Points sharing extends that strategy beyond the individual account by making earned points more useful across families and groups travelling together. That can be particularly relevant for occasional travellers whose balances may otherwise build slowly. Combining points can turn several modest accounts into one balance large enough for a practical redemption, without requiring each traveller to wait until they independently reach the same threshold. Choice ties loyalty flexibility to a broad hotel network. Choice Privileges can be used across a hotel portfolio that includes brands such as Cambria Hotels, Comfort, Quality Inn and Everhome Suites, with properties in 51 countries and territories according to the company's announcement. Members can redeem points for hotel stays as well as other rewards including gift cards and travel experiences. Choice also points to the program's recent recognition in external hotel-rewards comparisons, including a 2026 WalletHub-related announcement. For travellers, the practical change is straightforward: points earned by different people can now contribute to the same travel goal. That gives Choice Privileges members another option for turning fragmented loyalty balances into stays and other rewards, particularly when planning trips together.

Choice Hotels International has agreed to acquire Harvest Hosts, an RV travel membership company, for approximately $130 million in an all-cash transaction. The deal extends Choice Hotels' reach into the outdoor travel market whilst maintaining its asset-light strategy. Harvest Hosts connects RV travellers with overnight experiences at more than 11,200 host locations, including wineries, farms, breweries and museums. Research shows Choice Privileges members over-index amongst RV travellers, creating opportunities to deepen engagement with existing members. Harvest Hosts will continue operating as a standalone business under its existing brand, with founder Joel Holland remaining as CEO. The transaction will be funded through cash on hand and borrowings under Choice Hotels' existing revolving credit facility. The deal is expected to close on 1 October 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. Choice Hotels acquired 100% of Harvest Hosts from Stripes, a New York-based growth equity firm, and other shareholders.

Choice Hotels expands upscale portfolio with six US openings. The additions include two Cambria sites and four Ascend Collection establishments. Choice Hotels International has expanded its domestic footprint with the launch of six properties across its Cambria Hotels and Ascend Collection banners. The additions include two Cambria sites and four Ascend Collection establishments, contributing to an upscale division that encompasses more than 300 active US hotels alongside roughly 150 pipeline projects spanning the Cambria, Ascend Collection, Radisson, Radisson Blu, and Radisson Individuals brands. The new Cambria developments are located in Colorado and Florida. Five miles from the US Air Force Academy, the Colorado Springs site provides 97 rooms and suites, an on-site eatery, a rooftop bar, meeting space, and a round-the-clock grab-and-go retail outlet. In Jacksonville, the Cambria establishment features guest accommodation, a restaurant and bar, complimentary Wi-Fi, a fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, rooftop event facilities, and a grab-and-go shop. Along the Florida Gulf Coast, the company introduced two Ascend Collection sites in Sarasota that share communal amenities, including an outdoor pool, breakfast facilities, a fitness centre, and a joint event space. Coral Pointe contains 107 guestrooms and apartment-style units, whereas the 86-room Caretta Landing incorporates an outdoor heated pool, retail space, meeting rooms, and complimentary coffee. The remaining two Ascend Collection properties are positioned in Wisconsin and Vermont. In Mishicot, Wisconsin, the Fairway Inn and Suites house 102 renovated rooms, conference facilities, an indoor heated pool, a hot tub, a gym, and the Greyfox Bar and Grill, with access to golf packages at a neighbouring 45-hole course. At the base of Bromley Mountain in Peru, Vermont, the 50-room Sun Lodge features direct ski access in winter, function space, a games room, a sundeck, outdoor fire pits, and picnic grounds. Give your business an edge with its leading industry insights.